Iranian Relations With Russia Strained as Result of Syrian War

The troika that is Iran-Russia-Turkey is being undermined by growing friction between Iran and Russia, as well as between Turkey and Iran. The source of the friction is also the source of the formation of the troika in the first place, the war in Syria.

Iranians are suspicious of Russia’s role in Syria and what are seen as Russian attempts to bypass Iran, which has paid a steep price to keep President Bashar al-Assad in power in Damascus. Media outlets’ reports seem to play into these fears and doubts of much of the public.

Of note, Reformist and moderate media outlets are generally in favor of reasonable ties with the West while broadly opposed to Russia, which in their view either blackmails Tehran or bypasses it. In contrast, staunch conservatives and hard-liners are staunch fans of Russia and consider it as part of their coalition against the United States.

The moderate conservative Tabnak news site, close to former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Mohsen Rezaie, wrote Jan. 17, “Based on an agreement between Russia and Syria, Iran and Iranian companies have been partly put aside from the process of reconstruction and investment in Syria, and consortiums have even been established between Syria and Russia in a number of sectors, and if Iran wants to join the reconstruction process, it should [at first] talk to the Russians. This is not speculation but rather an issue that has been discussed in the government, and the Iranian government is deeply worried about this.”

The news site added, “Iranian Russophiles aren’t willing to speak about the breaking of promises by the Russians and their blows to Iran’s national interests. The Russians left us when UN resolutions against Iran were passed and didn’t deliver the defense systems when we needed them, and are now harvesting the [fruit of the] efforts of Iranians in Syria and are accompanying Saudi Arabia in Yemen.”

Paul Gordon is the publisher and editor of iState.TV. He has published and edited newspapers, poetry magazines and online weekly magazines.
He is the director of Social Cognito, an SEO/Web Marketing Company. You can reach Paul at pg@istate.tv